Apple Fever
by Prince Bartholomew
Summary: When you're not feeling well, sometimes your mind will mess with you. It might give you a traumatizing nightmare or the best dream in the world, but it can still toy with your emotions. A certain blob finds out the hard way.


**Disclaimer:** If I owned the Puyo Puyo series, Oshare Bones would've been in 20th Anniversary, among other things. However, I don't own it, so…oh well.

**A/N:** If you want to blame anyone for this, blame me for shutting off the analyzing part of my brain (which throws my creativity into full throttle – and there aren't any brakes, mind you), and blame a certain artist on DeviantART who goes by the username, "Mischievous-Ekoro" for this inspiration. You have been warned. (Check out her art, by the way!) Also, the Ekoro in this story is bouncy blobby Ekoro. If you want a fanfic with the other form, look elsewhere. kthxbai.

**Words:  
**  
"Konnichiwa!" - Hello/Hi/Greetings/Salutations  
"Ohayo gozaimasu~!" - Good morning~!  
"Tanoshii, ne?" - It's fun, isn't it?/This is fun, isn't it?  
"Chotto matte!" - Hold it!/Hold on!/Wait!

* * *

The day started off like any other – the sunlight was warm, the occasional breeze was soothing, the shade of the apple tree was refreshing, and I could faintly hear the distinctive shouts signaling that a Puyo Battle was currently taking place. Normally, I'd have gotten up to investigate and watch two or more people engaged in a heated match, but I felt oddly lethargic today. Instead, I turned over and did my best to tune out the noise.

…_This feels too nice to give up…_

Emitting a content sigh, I enjoyed the feeling of my consciousness fading…

"Not up for causing mischief today, eh?"

_Gah…!_

I refused to open my eyes, but I could tell that Arle-chan was standing over me, no doubt wary of my presence. She was an interesting person who was pretty good at Puyo Battles, and I'd caused some trouble for her and others in the past. She wasn't still mad at me, was she?

"…Mmmm…"

With a displeased moan, I turned away from her, intent on napping. The following silence was pleasant, and I hoped that she'd leave me alone. Though the blanket of sleep wasn't covering me as fast as I would've liked, it was still very close. My mind was vaguely aware of the girl's footsteps fading in the distance as I began to doze off…

"You shouldn't wake him, Schezo-san."

"I need to see how strong he's gotten! His power is unlike any other; I want him!"

On any other day, I'd have burst into hysterics at the Dark Wizard's poor wording. Today, however, all I wanted to do was rest. I could hear Lemres-san's soft chuckle.

"Ah…you mean, you want his power, correct?"

"…Y-yes! Dang it, why do I keep doing that…?"

A warm hand planted itself on my shoulder and I soon felt myself being shaken. Instead of becoming annoyed at this, my body tried to pull away, turning over. The hand retreated, but eventually returned with more vigor. The sensation wasn't pleasant; my head started to hurt, and I emitted a groan of discomfort. The hand retreated once more.

"Schezo-san, I don't think he's feeling well today. We should leave him be."

"…Should we warn everyone else as well?"

"They're going to wonder why he isn't being his energetic self, and it's likely that some might question him while his body is trying to recover. I believe we should notify everyone to let him sleep peacefully."

I felt a gentle pat on my head.

"Rest well, Ekoro-kun."

xxx

_Opening my eyes, I could sense that the atmosphere was different. Everything looked calm and peaceful, though the air itself didn't feel right; a thick, cold mist seemed to cling to me. As I sat up, I realized that Amitie-chan and Arle-chan were looking at me with smiles on their faces. I grinned back, feeling bubbly and energetic._

"_Ohayo gozaimasu~!"_

_The two girls laughed at me and ran off. Huh…they usually ask what glorious evil plan I'm plotting before they leave, or they challenge me to a Puyo Battle…Oh well. I stood up and walked away from the apple tree, wondering what I should do. Should I hang out with Satan-sama and cause some trouble? Or should I try playing with Draco-chan's tail? Maybe I could tease Raffine-chan or mess with Klug-kun? The possibilities were almost limitless, and I couldn't help but feel excited._

_As I continued to walk, I settled on trying to possess Satan-sama, though without any world-threatening intent this time. It'd be fun just to possess him and make him dance or sing, right? I found myself giggling in delight at the thought. The air suddenly changed around me, and I felt an unusual warmth on my chest. I blinked a bit, checking my surroundings and realizing I was standing in a meadow of odd flowers._

…_Wait, Satan-sama's castle doesn't have a meadow on the way there from the apple tree…_

"_Konnichiwa, Ekoro-kun~!"_

_I turned around to see Ringo-chan smiling at me. Wait…smiling at me? My head tilted a bit to the side in confusion. She's never THAT happy to see me…this wasn't a trick, was it? She wasn't trying to play a prank on me, was she?_

"…_Ringo-chan…?"_

"_Who else, silly?"_

_She wasn't looking at me with concern or eyeing me in suspicion; rather, she seemed genuinely happy to see me. With a giggle, she held out her hand to me._

"_Come and run with me, Ekoro-kun~!"_

_I hesitated. This…this wasn't really Ringo-chan, was it? She would never act like this…though, if this were a prank, she'd probably hit me with her math book or challenge me to a Puyo Battle if I tried to take her hand. After a while, she realized I wasn't going to accept her offer and retracted her hand._

"_Aww, you're no fun."_

_I pouted at her statement. What was she talking about? I'm always fun! She giggled at my reaction, though, and seemed to acquire a smug look on her face._

"_You're just playing hard-to-get, eh?"_

"_What – "_

_As I tried to cautiously take a step back, Ringo-chan threw herself into me with more force than I'd expect her to have, sending me onto the flowers below. However, she'd put too much power into her tackle and we tumbled through the field, the soft colors quickly blending together in a messy ocean. Just when I thought we'd never stop, we hit the end of the ride, with Ringo-chan pinning me beneath her._

"_Tanoshii, ne?"_

_I gaped at her as she 'borrowed' my victory catchphrase._

"_Ringo-chan, are you feeling alright…?"_

"_I'm feeling wonderful, my little energetic blob. I've got you here with me, after all."_

"_Chotto matte! I thought you liked that Maguro guy and hated it whenever I – "_

_She put a finger to my mouth, cutting my sentence short._

"_Let's enjoy this moment together."_

_With that, she pulled her finger away, closed her eyes, and slowly leaned down, her lips getting closer to my mouth…_

"Ekoro…?"

…_Wha…?_

My eyes opened, revealing a concerned Ringo-chan and Lemres-san looking down at me. I stared back at them in confusion. As I sat up, I felt a haze clouding my mind. Lemres-san seemed lost in thought as Ringo-chan gave a sigh, looking relieved.

"How are you feeling?"

…_What's going on?_

Lemres-san looked apologetic at my silence.

"Ah…well, forgive me, Ekoro-kun. I used a spell that would prevent others from waking you while your body rested."

Ringo-chan gave him a look, and the Comet Warlock nervously continued.

"Sometimes, it has…unusual side effects…which can have an affect on the subconscious. Someone who is under the ailment of a fever or other illnesses will sometimes have weird or nonsensical dreams or nightmares. However, combined with the side effects of this spell, it can result in a devastating nightmare or the best of dreams…"

…_So it was all a dream…Ringo-chan still likes that Maguro creep…_

"I'm sorry, I should've considered the consequences and your own feelings before even thinking about using the spell."

With that, he offered me a lollipop – his favorite candy, if Feli-chan's loud and obsessive monologue moments about him were right – and my hands seemed to take it almost automatically. He gave me a quick bow before walking away, leaving me with Ringo-chan. I stared at the ground, expecting the girl that I liked to quickly leave as well. Instead, I heard her sigh and sit down next to me.

"…You know, when Schezo-san told me that you weren't feeling well and to let you sleep, I got worried. When Lemres-san told me that he used a spell to help you recover faster, I kind of…well, I panicked a bit."

By now, I could feel the haze over my mind lifting, though I allowed Ringo-chan to continue; I was feeling rather curious and didn't want to interrupt her.

"…You see, even though you were evil at first…even though you possessed Arle and a few others…even though you nearly doomed the worlds twice…you're still an important part of our lives."

I put a hand to my mouth to wipe away the ever-present drool as the girl continued.

"…You're still our goofy little blob, Ekoro, and – "

Quicker than Oshare-san's Fashion Radar, I gently grasped Ringo-chan's chin, turned her to look at me, and softly placed my mouth against hers. My first kiss, so soft and passionate…it almost felt like my precious Ringo-chan was returning it. When I finally pulled away to look at her, I noticed that she looked dazed. I couldn't help but smile and giggle a bit.

"And you're still the apple of my eye, Ringo-chan."


End file.
